The present disclosure relates generally to mobile device communication, and more particularly to motion-based communication mode selection on a mobile device.
Mobile devices such as smart phones can be configured for communication using many different communication protocols including cellular, WiFi, near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth, two-dimensional barcodes (e.g., QR codes), and the like. To initiate communication in a desired protocol, however, a user must typically have to open an application on their mobile device specifically associated with the communication protocol.
For example, in the context of a contactless payment transaction at a merchant point of sale (POS) terminal, a user may have the option to initiate a payment with their mobile device by communicating with the POS terminal using an NFC or two-dimensional barcode protocol. To select the desired protocol, the user generally must first “unlock” their mobile device and then open a specific payment application before the payment is initiated. In some instances, upon opening the payment application, the user may also need to navigate through a list of available protocols to locate and select the protocol desired for making the payment. This may be cumbersome and time-consuming for users, and may result in delays at the merchant and may discourage users from making use of certain contactless protocols available to them.
In another example, a user may wish to use their mobile device to send a message to another user's mobile device. To do so, however, the user must typically first open an application on their mobile device configured to transmit the message in the desired communication protocol. If the user wishes to send an SMS text message, as an example, they may first need to open an application programmed to transmit SMS text messages. But if the user desires to send an email message, a separate email application may first need to be opened. As in the contactless payment scenario, this process can be time-consuming, especially when the user's mobile device includes many installed applications that must be navigated to locate and select the application associated with the desired communication protocol.
Embodiments of the invention address these and other problems.